No matter how you feel about the franchise, I think it’s been clear to most how rocky the last few years Star Wars has been in the hands of the evil empire, Disney. Sequels to the original trilogy that have become as divisive as the Bible, and spin-off films that showed us things we already knew. I would say that so far, where this franchise has thrived would be through TV. Each show, from Star Wars: Visions, to The Mandalorian has time to present interesting storylines and explore new unseen parts of the galaxy far, far away.
I do my best to not discuss the entirety of a movie, or show until an entire season is completed, but we’re almost to a new year, so I’ll be an almost new me. In this case, based on its first episode, The Book Of Boba Fett might be exactly what Star Wars needs.
Let’s side-track for a moment. There’s nothing I hate more than when a character no one cares about or has completed their character arc is announced an entire show. Look at the MCU for some examples, Echo from Hawkeye, Agatha from Wandavision, and I would even argue Loki in his title show. Most of the time, it’s clear how money-grabbing this is with no heart or soul behind the project. The times where this idea is used for good are great, and Boba Fett was ripe for a spin-off. We knew just enough about him to cheer when his iconic ship the Slave-1 flies into battle to save the Mandalorian, yet we’re ready to learn more.
Rather than simply casting a younger actor for the show, and going down the list of things that need to be explained like how he survived the Sarlacc Pit, if the first episode is anything to judge, then the formula of the show will go back and forth between present-day and the past. When I first heard about it, I LOVED the idea of the show. Having Boba Fett be our eye into how the criminal underworld works is a fun and unique approach to take this character. We caught a brief glimpse of this with Solo: A Star Wars Story but with a show, there’s more time to fully express this idea.
What I loved about this first episode was how little action, and dialogue there was, simply letting the camera and visuals explain the story. While it’s made by the same team, I don’t want another Mandalorian, I want long scenes of different crime lords discussing their ideas and backstabbing each other rather than just more action.
The action that was in the episode was great and served a purpose to set up where this story is headed and how it can contribute to Boba’s character development. In that regard, what they are setting up for his character looks like it’ll be a lot of fun. “Jabba ruled with fear. I intend to rule with respect.” Through this quote, and the other actions of Boba in this first episode, we’re going to see him start to understand that to be a crime lord, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty and let loose sometimes.
I’m not entirely sure what the plan is but, I would like to add, that unless the show really adds something huge that a mass audience will remember, it’s possible that making this a limited series instead of a 5 season show, might be best.
I was very impressed by The Book Of Boba Fett’s first episode, with its use of visual storytelling, fun action, cool character beats, and awesome score, all working together to craft what could be the best Star Wars show yet.
MooCow Entertainment 